Extinguishers and fire blankets.

[Hutch]

We all know we should have these items in our caravans, but as the Manufactures don't fit them as standard , where do you fit yours. I have a 1 kg Co2 extinguisher, near the fridge.

 

[otherclive]

We all know we should have these items in our caravans, but as the Manufactures don't fit them as standard , where do you fit yours. I have a 1 kg Co2 extinguisher, near the fridge.

Ours travel in a crate and are placed on a shelf on the other side of the caravan. opposite the cooker. They are free standing and can be grabbed very quickly (on the way out )

 

[Craigyoung]

Shockingly enough and as it happens we don't have one in the caravan ! hmy:
I often wander round a site to be nosey and see two buckets of sand at the front off some caravans but I must make it my New Year's resolution to get an extinguisher for the van

 

[ProfJohnL]

If you search the www. You can quickly find video of caravan fires, and the most obvious thing is seeing just how quickly a fire can take hold. The overriding advice is as soon as a fire is detected GET EVERYONE OUT AND A SAFE DISTANCE AWAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

If you stop to try and tackle a fire, you are of course delaying your own exit, but you could also make it difficult for someone else to get out.

Only when everyone else is out should you consider trying to tackle the fire, if it is safe to do so. For that reason fire extinguishers should be stored close to the caravan door.

 

[Lutz]

Having seen how quickly a caravan goes up in flames it's absolutely vital to have the extinguisher at hand as quickly as possible.
A couple of years ago I witnessed a caravan fire at a campsite. The caravan was engulfed in flames within seconds and completely destroyed long before the fire brigade had a chance to arrive.

 

[Dodger524]

Ours are low down by the door so can be grabbed on the way out.

 

[Guzzilazz]

Using marine advice, the use of fire extinguishers is to enable you to get to your nearest exit to evacuate which - as ProfJohnL states is the objective. So assess where your sleep, and how you would get to the door.... An extinguisher that is in the bedroom may give you the little bit of space/time to do just that, thinking of the likely places for fire to start (kitchen? fridge?)

 

[ProfJohnL]

Using marine advice, the use of fire extinguishers is to enable you to get to your nearest exit to evacuate which - as ProfJohnL states is the objective. So assess where your sleep, and how you would get to the door.... An extinguisher that is in the bedroom may give you the little bit of space/time to do just that, thinking of the likely places for fire to start (kitchen? fridge?)

There may be something to be learnt from the this point, But to follow it through you would need as many extinguishers as there are habitation spaces,. This could start to compromise payload, an issue that is not as relevant in boats. Even in small boats akin to caravans the extinguishers I have seen tend be in the companion way or cockpit bulk head. But what price safety?

 

[bertieboy1]

I disagree,don't have and wouldn't have either of these items.If van goes on fire let it burn,wouldn't risk my or anyone elses life trying to put it out.

 

[otherclive]

I disagree,don't have and wouldn't have either of these items.If van goes on fire let it burn,wouldn't risk my or anyone elses life trying to put it out.

Surely it is a matter of scale. A small fire can be suppressed quite effectively by rapid application of fire extinguishant. A quality dry powder extinguisher is very effective but it should be large enough to discharge a good quantity of extinguishant rapidly. Ours is 2kg but I've known people buy small aerosol types from Halfords; absolutely useless. When not in the van our extinguisher joins its two "mates" within the house. Having trained in fire and damage control with the Royal Navy the ethos there is hit it quickly with a portable device or water hose, but don't put yourself in harms way as it will divert resources from tackling the fire.

 

[Mel]

I disagree,don't have and wouldn't have either of these items.If van goes on fire let it burn,wouldn't risk my or anyone elses life trying to put it out.

The point of an extinguisher is to tackle the fire that is between me and the door or window that I am escaping through. After that it is a job for the fire brigade and the insurance company.
Mel

 

[Anseo]

Having a fire extinguisher in a caravan as a device to aid getting to the door is not really worth considering.

What type of extinguisher would be appropriate in the confines of a caravan to aid safe egress?,
Water
Co2
Dry Powder
Foam

I have trained in fire extinguisher use and also been a trainer for fire extinguisher use, there are just too many scenarios for the location and type of fire in a caravan .e.g. electrical fire, woodpaperfabric, propanebutane gas and plastics etc.

Keep the route to the door uncluttered, cover yourself with a blanket if necessary (things are already pretty grim if you are in this situation) and just get out, you probably do not have time, nor will be able to get out of a window, they are not designed as a means of escape.

So you get outside safely, now you can consider if it is safe to fight the fire, it may be safe to fight it if you have the appropriate equipment, this could be an extinguisher or fire blanket or the pretty much useless bucket of sand.

Not going to go into it here but your choice of extinguisher may exacerbate the situation, as a reasonable choice for having only one type of extinguisher then dry powder is a good choice, and if you also had a Co2 then you have a good option in the event of an electrical fire.

(I don't know anybody who carries both, if I could carry only one thing then it would be a fire blanket).

And keep the extinguisher outside the caravan where you won't fall over it and it is easy to lay your hands on, you could store it in the sand bucket .

I hope it never happens to any of you, and if you have not had basic fire fighting training in the use of extinguishers then it is probably best to get far away and raise the alarm.

 

[otherclive]

No where in this thread has anyone mentioned the need for effective smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that are tested regularly. They not only warn you but your neighbours too.

 

[Craigyoung]

Smoke alarms tested on a regular basis in the mornings when everybody puts the toasters on on the campsites as you can hear them going off on a morning !!

 

[Craigyoung]

Regardings the profs posting , I did my work experience at the fire brigade School just over 20 years ago , what an experience , I was actually sent into the training house when it was set on fire with all the BA equipment & full kit on and shown how to use extinguishers , not something I would like to do again as I was scared sh**less but hats off to them and hope my caravan never goes that way . :dry:

 

[Hutch]

(I don't know anybody who carries both, if I could carry only one thing then it would be a fire blanket).

And keep the extinguisher outside the caravan where you won't fall over it and it is easy to lay your hands on, you could store it in the sand bucket .

I hope it never happens to any of you, and if you have not had basic fire fighting training in the use of extinguishers then it is probably best to get far away and raise the alarm.

Anseo, You obviously didn't notice my van, I have a 2 kg dry powder ext. By the jockey wheel and a 1 kg near the fridge at the end of our bed. ( although you didn't come in), its so that a fire near the end of the bedroom we can hopefully get out but can be reached if the power control box catches, under the front bunk.

Biggest problem is someone "Freezing" and not getting out of a situation. .

 

[ProfJohnL]

Regardings the profs posting , I did my work experience at the fire brigade School just over 20 years ago , what an experience , I was actually sent into the training house when it was set on fire with all the BA equipment & full kit on and shown how to use extinguishers , not something I would like to do again as I was scared sh**less but hats off to them and hope my caravan never goes that way . :dry:

Happy Christmas Craig,

What part of my posts? I don't see anything contradictory.

 

[Craigyoung]

Regardings the profs posting , I did my work experience at the fire brigade School just over 20 years ago , what an experience , I was actually sent into the training house when it was set on fire with all the BA equipment & full kit on and shown how to use extinguishers , not something I would like to do again as I was scared sh**less but hats off to them and hope my caravan never goes that way . :dry:

Happy Christmas Craig,

What part of my posts? I don't see anything contradictory.

Passs !! Must of read it wrong !!?!? :lol:

 

[Buckman]

We have a 1kg water mist extinguisher which handles all sorts of fires including electrical fires situated near the door. It may be larger and more expensive than than the cheap extinguishers found in caravan accessory shops but it is more effective. We also have fire blanket near the door.
However I wonder how many people actually have these items checked at least once a year as recommended by most manufactures of fire appliances?

 

[Gabsgrandad]

I too have 2 dry powder extinguishers, 1 in the van and 1 in the car boot. Both replaced last year. The originals were some 40 years old, so I heeded the notice to replace them. Once replaced, thought I'd try the two old ones on the back lawn. Fired the 1st. one -- worked perfectly, -- lovely white coloured lawn, thought 2nd. one can't possibly work after 40 years and 'thousands' of miles, --- wrong! Worked perfectly and enhanced the whiteness of the lawn. Unfortunately you can't get the 'genie' back in the bottle. -- So I shan't be worrying about expiry dates again. -- Another 40 years should see me out!?

 

[otherclive]

We have a 1kg water mist extinguisher which handles all sorts of fires including electrical fires situated near the door. It may be larger and more expensive than than the cheap extinguishers found in caravan accessory shops but it is more effective. We also have fire blanket near the door.
However I wonder how many people actually have these items checked at least once a year as recommended by most manufactures of fire appliances?

Who do you use to check your water mist extinguisher? For my dry powder each tim ewe put it out it gets a gentle knock on the bottom and the pressure gauge is checked. We also ensure it doesn't go by its Use By Date. The fire blanket gets no checks though.

I once sat in the outer seats on a VC10 adjacent to a pan fire on the wing root. The fuselage had been cut away. The water mist system was deployed and it was amazing as sitting adjacent to this inferno you felt no heat whatsoever. Without water mist the seat frames melted and burned.This system was developed following the Manchester air disaster, but never deployed on civilian aircraft. Another type of water mist that I was associated with was tested at Shoeburyness Ranges to test its effectiveness in stopping pressurised hydraulic oil fires. It was pre charged and activated either automatically or manually. It worked superbly and is now deployed by a number of navies, and is in civil systems too.

One additional advantage of a good extinguisher is that when discharging powder or Co2 can be an effective security device. Spray then smack!

 

[Anseo]

The water mist extinguisher is a great option and inside a caravan the mist is unlikely to be carried away by draughtswind.
Difficult to put a price on safety but starting at around £50 for a 1litre I wonder how many people would be put off, for an extra £10.00 say, a 3 litre option can be had (my preference).

Like Gabsgrandad I fired off an old dry powder to see if it would work, this extinguisher had never periodically been turned upside down or 'tapped' on the bottom to loosen up the powder, it worked perfectly and it was 17 years old.

Again, there is a safetycost consideration, but I would not discard an extinguisher (that has pressure gauge) just because it is out of date.

Where would I draw the line in terms of number of years out of date?, I don't have an answer to that, but I feel comfortable with ten years, but that is just me and it is not recommended for anyone to follow other than the manufacturers recommendation(s), so do not do what I might do, best to follow best practice (if you can afford it).

 

[Buckman]

Another advantage with a water mist extinguisher is that if you use it in the caravan to put out a fire, there is not much to clean up afterwards as the water will simply evaporate unlike powder which will create one hell of a mess.
I am not sure on this, but I think you can partially discharge a water mist cylinder to test it and then put it away again. We have only had ours for about 2 years so not sure about servicing it.

 

[Raywood]

I am afraid given the speed a caravan fire can spread I am not convinced extinguishers will work unless very close to you when the fire breaks out. The first priority is to get everyone out and in many cases that will be too late to fight the fire effectively.

 

[Buckman]

I am afraid given the speed a caravan fire can spread I am not convinced extinguishers will work unless very close to you when the fire breaks out. The first priority is to get everyone out and in many cases that will be too late to fight the fire effectively.

Quite correct however the fire may be outside the caravan i.e. awning etc. Inside the fire extinguisher is there to help delay the spread of a fire i.e. a pan fire. Even in my younger care free could not care less days we always had a fire extinguisher at hand.